With the rise in online shopping, it’s no surprise that more and more people are starting their own e-commerce store. The thought of being able to conduct business from anywhere, while generating passive income from products you sell sounds like a dream come true. However, establishing and running your own online shop requires a lot of preparation and is something that needs to be planned very carefully. In this article we go through a few of the fundamental steps that need to be considered when starting your adventure into E – Commerce.

  1. Choosing a good name for your e-commerce store

Choosing a good name for your e-commerce store is extremely important. If you want your business to be successful, the name has to be short, memorable, and easy to spell. It also needs to be relevant to your products or services and your target audience.
Google and other search engines like Yahoo and Bing will quickly notice if a name is not unique or does not reflect the way your company is supposed to be represented. Find names that you think are reasonable and that are unique but also easy to spell and pronounce. One word or a short phrase can work amazingly well, think amazon or takealot or yuppiechef, you get the picture.

Once you have a name that you want to use for your e-commerce store, it’s time to make some decisions about how your store will be structured.

  1. Registering a domain name to represent your brand online

The domain name is a fundamental part of your online presence and the first thing people see when they visit your site. Choosing the right domain name for your site can be a difficult task, especially if the domain that best matches your company name is already taken. It is for this reason that the process of choosing a name for your online store often goes hand in hand with the availability of the domain. You want something short, memorable, and easy to spell. You also want to choose a domain name that’s relevant to your brand.

To check for availability of a .co.za domain, head on over to the co.za Domain Administration portal at https://coza.net.za/whois.shtml

  1. Choosing a good hosting service for your e-commerce website

There are a lot of e-commerce hosting and payment services out there today. You need to choose a provider that is not only priced well, but provides a good SLA (Service Level Agreement) in terms of the speed and stability of their hosting platform, but also boasts a top notch customer service team for when things are not going so well and you need someone to assist you quickly.

Our advice would be to do your homework in terms of the customer service and response of your chosen hosting provider up front. There’s nothing worse than being tied into a contract with a provider who doesn’t seem to want to give you the time of day.

  1. Setting up a shopping cart software for your products to be sold online

Before you can start selling your product online, you need to set up a shopping cart and e-commerce software. There are a lot of different e-commerce software providers that can help you set up your online store. This software is integral to the success of your online store because it handles the payment, checkout process, and delivery of your product. So where does your shopping cart come in? There are a huge number of articles on the web regarding e-commerce shopping carts and many to choose from. Out Of The Box Ideas makes use of the tried and tested WooCommerce plugin on top of the WordPress base platform. This combination is a leading online store platform that allows you to store, manage, and deliver e-commerce products.

  1. Setting up payment options and finding the right shipping provider

For any business, setting up payment options and finding the best shipping provider are key. For example, if you’re selling products on your website, you’ll need to find a way to accept payments. PayGate is a popular option that many people use, and if you need more information, you can read up on how to integrate PayGate with your website.

Internet Express pays shipping options based on the weight and size of your package, and also offers your customers an exact cost before shipping.

All of the above can be a hassle for a business owner who has to deal with many other areas of the business, especially a startup business. Out Of The Box Ideas are experts in this field and have helped countless customers get off the ground and off to a flying start. Why not let us help you in your next business venture, giving you time to focus on the other things.

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